Let’s talk flooded timber for walleyes and how to fish it. Many lakes and resevoirs have areas of vast flooded timber.
Great walleye lakes like North Dakota Devils Lake litteraly has more timber then you can shake a stick at. Many lakes and reservoirs in the Southern US, South and North Dakota have similar flooded timber conditions. Here in Minnesota and Wisconsin there are plenty of good walleye lakes and flowages that have flooded timber. Walleyes love flooded timber.
Where do you start and how do you fish vast flooded stands of timber? There are a couple options you can break down a section of flooded timber and fish it similar to fishing a deep weed line in the summer.
The type of prime spots you want to recognize to fish are where you have trees that are not sticking straight up out of the water but leaning at an angle and they could even be slightly under the surface of the water. This leaning angle of timber creates the shade and cover walleye prefer. If you have 3 or 4 or more trees leaning over in one spot this is the prime spot you are looking for. The spot on a spot another words.
What kind of presentation do you want to use to fish the spot on a spot leaning timber? You can use a crankbait such as a shad rap or a clackin rap. You may have problems with hang ups. The better option for casting would be a weedless jig such as the Northland weed weasle (it is a jig with a weed guard). Tip your jig with a minnow, crawler, leach, or one of the super baits such as the gulp alive shad in 3-4 inch length. For boat position.
First anchor your boat about 30 yards from the base (or the root structure) of the timber in such a position you can cast parrellel to the timber and retrieve the lure down the sides of the trees and with a weed less jig right in the trees. Let the jig fall to the bottom and slightly pump the rod from a 7 o’clock to a 10 oclock position. Then slowly reel and repeat retrieving the jig right next to the tree. For crankbaits you may want to remove the bottom hook by cutting it off so you will not get hung up as frequently. Fish the crankbait right along the tree trunks. Then try positioning your boat at 3 or 4 different spots to hit the timber at different angles. Fish will be positioned facing different angles. This is a tip that will put more fish in your boat. Put at least 20 25 casts or more on a good spot of leaning timber.
To fish a general clump of flooded standing straight up timber we will use a stretch of shoreline timber 200 yards wide by 30 yards. Start with a crankbait or a weedless jig and cast starting with outer edge (using your trolling motor) and work the edge. Then start working closer in casting to the open pockets. Methodically work the timber like a weedline.
I like throwing the weed weasle right next to the standing timber. When casting a crankbait let the crankbait hit the tree if you can when retrieving it back. This many times triggers a strike. Sometimes the thickness off the brush and timber will dictate that you throw a weed less jig. Keep in mind to key in on the timber that is leaning at an angle.
Another tactic for timber that is leaning at an angle is to use a slip bobber and a leach. Anchor your boat 30-35 yards away from the timber that is leaning at an angle and cast the slip bobber amnd let the bait dangle enticingly in front of the fish and cast that bait right in there. Key point the roots will generally hold the fish because it provides the best cover
Trolling the outer edge of the timber with a crankbait is another method. Watch your depth finder closely so you can guide the boat so you will not get hang ups. Position your boat right on the edge of the timber when trolling (there is a fine line).
Try fishing some of this flooded timber on one of your walleye lakes to help you boat more walleyes. It is many times overlooked because fisherman do not have the knowledge on how and where to fish the timber and they do not know what presentations to use. Not like you after reading this post.